


No Doubt

by GinStan



Category: Guiding Light
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinStan/pseuds/GinStan
Summary: Olivia and Natalia get past a big misunderstanding with the help of a sympathetic Sister that we may or may not recognize from another fandom.
Relationships: Natalia Rivera/Olivia Spencer
Kudos: 20





	No Doubt

  
Blake’s words _Natalia doesn’t want to see you right now_ echoed through Olivia’s head as she searched the crowd at the barbecue. Spotting the person she wanted, Olivia walked directly up to Phillip. “I need you to watch Emma for a while. I have something I need to do.”  
  
“Sure.” Phillip was totally agreeable to that, and thought he knew what Olivia needed to do since Natalia wasn’t here yet and he knew the other woman was supposed to have arrived before the games began.   
  
She glanced over where Rafe and Emma were shooting each other with water guns and decided against saying bye. That would only bring up questions she wasn’t prepared to answer at the moment.  
  
Swallowing against the sick feeling in her stomach, the words once again floated through her head. _Natalia doesn’t want to see you right now._ Anger began to replace the heart pounding, mind blanking terror those words evoked. _Natalia doesn’t want to see you right now._ Something had happened, something Blake knew but wouldn’t tell. Olivia sat in her car for a moment, then clenched her teeth. “Bullshit!” She turned the key in the ignition and growled. “I don’t care if she wants to see me or not, Ms. Rivera has some explaining to do! And I’m not going to sit around waiting for it.” A small scoffing sound escaped her lips. “No more waiting Natalia! Isn’t that what we decided?”  
  
She pulled out of her parking spot and headed out to find the absent woman. “No more waiting.”  
  
\-------------------  
  
Natalia sat on the bench at the train station, her mind whirling at the overwhelming changes her life was about to take. She knew there were people bustling in the station, back and forth in front of her, trains were announced arriving and departing… she exhaled softly and the word arriving drifted through her mind, her hand automatically went to her stomach and she swallowed against the sick feeling rising in the back of her throat, her mind once again whirling with possibilities and she began to pray, her hand automatically moving up from her stomach, wrapping around the cross hanging from her neck. _Dear Lord, I know I’ve messed everything up and I could really use a little guidance right now._ She was so lost in prayer, she didn’t even notice when someone sat down beside her, at least not until they spoke.  
  
“What troubles you child?”  
  
Looking up, Natalia blinked at the figure next to her, the woman was smiling encouragingly, Natalia responded in kind, and felt like she could breathe. Prayers were answered, she’d known that in her heart all along and addressed the woman sitting next to her. “Sister?”  
  
“Mmmm…” The kind smile never faltered and the woman’s blue eyes now twinkled in amusement. “That is usually what wearing a habit indicates.” She saw the younger woman’s grip on the cross. “Were you praying?” Now the blue eyes widened. “I apologize, I did not mean to interrupt…” She began to rise when Natalia held out a hand, almost but not quite touching her arm.  
  
“No, please, don’t go. I was praying for guidance. I was praying for you.” She sent a fast thought to her deity. _Oh thank you for being so quick about it this time._  
  
Desperation in the brunette’s voice caused the nun to retake her seat and she nodded. “The Lord does seem to work in mysterious ways.”  
  
Natalia murmured almost sarcastically. “You have no idea.” In her head she could hear Olivia’s voice echo the sentiment, just the thought of Olivia brought a lump in her throat and she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. What could she possibly say to Olivia, how would she even begin to talk about….this?  
  
“Tears?” The sister used the sleeve of her robe to wipe away the moisture on Natalia’s cheek. “Perhaps talking about the issue would help?”  
  
Natalia looked around and realized the train she was waiting on wouldn’t arrive at the station for a while and they were nearly alone in the large waiting area. She began to speak, the words tumbling out of her. She told the Sister everything… while carefully not mentioning Olivia’s name or gender, then waited holding her breath for a response until she started to see spots forming in front of her eyes and forced herself to breathe.  
  
“That is quite a story, my child.” Kind blue eyes settled on Natalia’s watery dark ones. “But, you didn’t explain why you are here.”  
  
“Father Ray suggested a retreat, he said going to a place of peace to contemplate the situation, might let me figure things out easier.”  
  
The Sister nodded slightly. “I guess that sounds reasonable.”  
  
“You guess?” Natalia was surprised the Sister wasn’t backing up Father Ray’s advice.  
“Can I ask you a question?” The nun turned in her seat to face the troubled woman. “What exactly would Father Ray know about being pregnant, or being in love?”  
  
“Uh…” Natalia opened her mouth, then closed it. Several times she repeated the action and began to feel like a fish until she finally found her voice. “He’s a Father. Doesn’t he know everything?”  
  
“Definitely not.” The Sister was outraged at the young woman’s naivety. “They are people, flawed and fallible just like the rest of us.” Taking a deep breath, the Sister spoke quietly. “May I ask another question?”  
  
“Of course.”   
  
“What… is her name?”  
  
Confused for a moment, Natalia seemed to brighten with realization and placed her hand over her tummy where the baby lay just beneath. “I don’t know yet if it’s a boy or girl.”  
  
The Nun smiled a tiny smile and shook her head. “No, not the baby. I mean, what is the name of the woman you are in love with.”  
  
Natalia blushed deeply and spoke nervously. “Um... what?”  
  
“That is the reason for your confusion yes? The conflict you have within yourself in regards to the church’s stance on same-sex partners versus the way you feel when you look at… her.” The Sister’s eyes closed as she uttered the pronoun and remained closed slightly longer than was strictly necessary. She only opened them when Natalia spoke softly.  
  
“Olivia.” Just saying the name stabbed at her heart. “How did you…”  
  
“If the person you were in love with was a man, Father Ray’s advice would have been different.”  
  
“How so?” Now Natalia turned to face the Sister.  
  
“He would have told you to tell him, the man that you love, about the pregnancy. He would have told you to discuss it openly and honestly with both the one you love and the father of your child. He would have encouraged dialogue between the three of you.” The Sister held up her hand as Natalia began to interrupt, the ‘why’ question practically written on her lips. “Since he encouraged you to leave town, encouraged you to not speak to Olivia about this issue, possibly told you to inform the baby’s father but not talk to the person you claim to love, Father Ray seems to be putting a wedge between you and the woman you say you love. What I’m not sure of is, why.”  
  
“It doesn’t seem like something Father Ray would do. He’s always been very kind to me, helping me through some situation or other. He was a pillar of support for me when Rafe was in prison and he often drops by the house for coffee or sometimes even a beer. I think I’m the first person he turns to when the church is having an event that involves baking.”  
  
The sister’s lips twitched and she was very careful with her next statement. “Perhaps he is… more attached to you than either of you realize or that he wants, or can, admit.”  
  
“What are you saying?”  
  
“Perhaps Father Ray would rather see you in a traditional relationship, with a man, than in one that is as forbidden as the one he wants to be in, with you.”  
  
Natalia began to feel like a fish again. “I can’t believe that.”  
  
“If it’s true it’s true whether you believe it or not.” The sister held up her hand, “I’m not saying it’s true, it’s just a thought I had.”  
  
Speaking absently, Natalia almost whispered. “Olivia pushed me toward marrying… Frank too. She thought it was what would make me happy.”  
  
“But it hurt her.” The Sister nodded. “She was willing to give up her happiness for yours.”   
  
“It hurt her… I hurt her, I hurt everyone involved. I ran, ran from the alter because I didn’t…don’t… love Frank, not like that, and I will not marry him, baby or not.”  
  
“So, a part of your dilemma is solved.” The Sister smiled. “One step closer to the resolution of your problem.”  
  
“You are very kind.” Natalia smiled sadly at the woman. “But this is so much more complicated…”  
  
“Of course, life is complicated.” The Nun sympathized with her new friend. “I would imagine it would be. To be taking advice from so many different people and trying to interpret everything that happens as a ‘sign from God’ would confuse me immensely.” The woman smoothed the black material across her thighs and spoke with only a hint of amusement. “Many people simplify their lives by making their own decisions. They consider what they need first, then think about what those around them would want and try to accommodate them accordingly.”  
  
“I can’t put myself first.” Natalia rejected the thought. “I have to put my son first, I have to take his feelings into account.”  
  
“Surely take them into account, I’m not saying don’t… I’m saying why do you have to put him first… why do his feelings count for more than yours… why does your life have to conform to his idea of what should be? From the way you describe him he sounds more like he’s nine instead of nineteen. He is demanding things from you he has no right to demand. He doesn’t know how you feel, does he? He doesn’t know what it’s like to see her across the room and feel as though you can suddenly breathe. He doesn’t know how her smile brightens you soul.”   
  
Natalia wasn’t sure the woman was speaking about her life anymore. The far away look the Sister got as she spoke almost made it seem like personal experience the nun was drawing on, but that was too much for Natalia to process. She thought about what the Sister had asked. _Why did her life have to conform to Rafe’s idea of ‘right’. Why was he being so demanding?_ She knew the answer and she knew it was her fault, _he is a spoiled brat and that is why he was throwing this tantrum. I’ve always given him his way._ “He told me a thousand times that all he wanted was for me to be happy. Then when I tried to be with the person…woman… that actually made me happy…” She cringed at the memory of him telling her and Olivia to go to Hell. “Do you believe in Hell, Sister?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Natalia nodded. “I do too.” She licked her lips. “But I believe it’s a rather empty place.”  
  
“How so?” The woman’s blue eyes studied her companion and spoke quietly. “Many people commit infractions that would send them there.”  
  
“Some people believe that.” Natalia agreed. “But the God I believe in… is Love and I don’t think it’s possible for Him to send someone to an eternity of torment simply for loving another person…” She scrubbed her face with her hands. “The God I believe in is all about Love, and Forgiveness…”  
  
“That has been my belief for quite a number of years.” The Sister smiled at the brunette next to her. “So you have decided that you will not marry Frank, no matter what.” The nun watched as Natalia nodded in agreement and she asked. “What do you think will happen when you inform Olivia about the child?”   
  
“I don’t know!” The tears that had begun to dry were again threatening to spill over, down Natalia’s cheeks. “I’m terrified that she will no longer want to be with me.”  
  
“You think her love for you is that weak?”   
  
“What?” Natalia automatically protested. “No, she loves me… she…”  
  
“Then trust in that, Child.” The nun’s kind eyes wrinkled slightly at the corners. “Hold on to it tightly, fight for it if you must. Love is God’s greatest gift to us, don’t throw it away.”   
  
Dark eyes grew wider. “What have I done?”  
  
“You have run away.” The Sister spoke matter-of-factly. “You have run away from your problem, as you seem to have done before.”   
  
“I don’t…”  
  
The Sister’s shaking head quieted the protest. “You went all the way to the alter, and as you were going to declare your love for Frank, you ran… now, as you related it to me, you and Olivia were going to go to this family picnic together, basically declaring your love for each other… and again you ran, never showed up… in effect, leaving Olivia at the alter. How do you think that made her feel?”  
  
Natalia’s face paled. “Oh no!” Burying her face in her hands, Natalia cried. “Emma was so excited about today.”   
  
“Emma… Olivia’s daughter.”   
  
“She’s so sweet, and I love her like my own.” Natalia continued crying. “What have I done?”  
  
“Nothing yet.” The Sister pointed out. “You won’t have done anything until the train leaves with you on it.”  
  
“There is still a chance.” Natalia began to gather up her things, when her hand hit her cell phone. Her finger’s dialed a number before she’d even thought about it.  
  
\-------------------  
  
Farmhouse, no. Church, park, Beacon, no no no… Olivia felt like she’d looked all over town for Natalia and decided to tackle the problem from a different angle and asked herself. _Where would I least likely find her?_ She turned the wheel of her car and headed toward the nearest bar when her phone rang. With her eyes on the road she didn’t look at the screen, hitting the accept call button with her thumb. When she heard the tentative ‘hello’ Olivia immediately began looking for a place to pull over. “Natalia!” Whipping the car into the closest parking space, Olivia killed the engine and cradled the phone in her hands. “Are you okay? Where are you? What’s going on?”  
  
“I’m not okay, ‘liv.” Natalia sighed. “I’m at the train station, and I can’t talk about it over the phone.”  
  
“The train station?” Olivia frowned. “You’re leaving?”  
  
“No.” Natalia’s sigh was audible through the phone. “I was… but… Olivia? Would you come and pick me up please? I don’t have my car.”  
  
“Of course,” Olivia was totally confused now, but the tightness in her chest had eased as soon as she’d heard Natalia say hello. “Of course, Sweetheart, anything you need. I’m on my way.”  
  
\--------------------  
  
“She’s coming to get me. Will you stay with me until she gets here?” Natalia exhaled in relief at the nun’s nodding head and noticed a small wisp of blonde hair sneaking out from under the woman’s head covering.  
  
“I’m here until my train arrives.” She folded her hands on her lap, and smiled.   
  
“Thank you, Sister.” Natalia was very nervous about seeing Olivia and trying to explain herself. She was glad to have a little distracting company. They sat in silence for several moments before Natalia asked the nun. “Where are you heading?”  
  
“The same place you were I suspect.” In more ways than one. The Sister smiled at Natalia’s confused look. “The Retreat… this is the last part of my journey there.”  
  
“You were going there to clear your head and think about things?” Natalia was astonished. _What problem would a nun have that required peaceful contemplation at a Retreat?_ “Just like I was?”  
  
The Sister nodded and agreed. “Just like you… I have, doubts, about many things.”  
  
“Your faith?”  
  
Nodding, the Sister agreed. “Among other things.” She was glad the door to the station opened and her lips twitched as the agitated newcomer scanned the room, restless eyes landing quickly on Natalia. “This must be Olivia.” Another twitch of a grin crossed the nun’s face as Natalia quickly turned and smiled shyly at the woman.  
  
Rushing over to Natalia, Olivia automatically reached out placing her hands on Natalia’s arms. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Olivia’s voice softened slightly. “What’s wrong? Why are you here? Where are you going?”  
  
“Olivia.” Natalia couldn’t stop the tears that had filled her eyes at the sight of Olivia. She couldn’t manage more words, but shifted slightly escaping the grip and moved closer to wrap her arms around Olivia’s waist. “Give me a minute okay?”  
  
Sliding her arms around Natalia, Olivia found her lips pressed close to the other woman’s ear and whispered. “Take all the time you need.”   
  
Natalia never wanted to let go. “Can we please go home?”  
  
“Of course.” Looking past Natalia, Olivia saw the nun sitting there, oddly enough there was a slight smile on the woman’s face as she began to stand.  
  
“I’ll just give you two some privacy.” Reaching down she grabbed the bag at her feet and began to walk to a different bench.  
  
“Sister!” Natalia released her hold on Olivia, but only turned in the older woman’s arms, savoring the contact they had.   
  
Stopping her forward motion, the nun turned and raised her eyebrows at Natalia. “Yes?”  
  
“Thank you.” Natalia’s hands dropped to hug the arms around her. “For everything.”  
  
With a final nod, the Sister smiled. “You are welcome, Child, anytime.” She continued her walk to a different bench, one far enough away not to be able to hear anything Natalia or Olivia might say to each other. There wasn’t really any reason to move, the Sister thought as she watched the couple leave the station. _At least they are talking now… I hope._ Closing her eyes to say a prayer for the couple, the nun kept them closed after the prayer was complete, losing herself in thoughts of other things, other people… one in particular with lovely red-hair and vivid blue eyes. A shadow passed in front of her closed eyes and when she opened them, the dream became real. The phrase, ask and you shall receive passed through her mind. “Hello.” A small smile played across her lips. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I should ask you the same. My presence is easily explained. I’m here because you are.”  
  
The Sister folded her hands on her lap and gently teased. “Shall I call you Sister Ruth from now on?”  
  
Rolling her eyes the newcomer dropped to the seat beside her friend. “Sarah will do just fine.” She placed her hand on the older woman’s arm, heat filtered through the cloth covering. “Come home Aly.”  
  
Chuckling at the diminutive of her name, she gently patted the hand on her arm. Glancing at the empty bench where she and Natalia had spoken, the Sister decided to take her own advice. She spoke to the woman next to her, squeezing the hand under hers gently.  
  
“You are here,” Even closing her eyes against it, the truth escaped her lips. “I am home.”  
  
\------------------------  
Natalia walked into the house she’d abandoned earlier and parked her rolling suitcase next to the foot of the stairs. She flopped down onto the couch and was not surprised as Olivia began to pace in front of the coffee table.  
  
“What is going on?” Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. “Why didn’t you come to the picnic? Why don’t you want to see me right now?”  
  
“Who said that!?”  
  
“Blake. She said you didn’t want to see me right now…” Olivia watched with surprise as Natalia rolled her eyes.  
  
“I never told her to tell you that.” Natalia knew the truth and could feel her stomach turn. “I never told her to tell you anything.”  
  
“You were… you were just going to leave without so much as a word to me?!” Olivia began to feel the slow burn of anger in her gut. “Did you leave word with Rafe? Did you even think how you just disappearing would effect Emma?” The thought of her daughter hurting even a fraction of what she was pushed Olivia to her limit. “What is going on??” Natalia mumbled something that Olivia couldn’t quite catch. “What?” Another mumble from Natalia’s direction. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that….”  
  
Frustration pushed the volume of her voice higher. “I’M PREGNANT!” Natalia felt the tears begin anew and spoke with a bit of venom in her voice. “Did you get it that time? I’m pregnant.” She waved toward the door. “I’m sure you’re ready to leave now.”  
  
Olivia didn’t leave, couldn’t leave because she couldn’t move. She felt as though she were rooted to the spot as she stood in the middle of what used to be their living room and simply stared at the brunette. After several minutes she was able to push part of one word past her lips with seemingly airless lungs. “Pr..preg…”  
  
“Yeah…” Natalia tried to keep her breathing steady. “So there you have it…”  
  
“Have what?” Stunned processing of the facts was replaced with confusion. “Have what?”  
  
“A reason to leave me.” Natalia shrugged. “Why would you want to deal with a baby? How can you even stand the sight of me after what I’ve done?”  
  
“How can I…?” Olivia managed to move to the couch, sitting next to the morose woman and spoke matter-of-factly. “Because I love you.” Her heart had broken when Blake had uttered those words _Natalia doesn’t want to see you right now,_ even sitting here right next to Natalia the memory hurt. But she really did, completely and totally love Natalia even when her heart had been shattered, each and every one of the million tiny pieces still loved Natalia. “You think I would leave you because of this? You think I’m that shallow? You think I’ll stop loving you, for anything?” Would you ever stop loving me?  
  
“I…” Natalia buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know… I just know I’m terrified that I’m going to have to go through this alone… again.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m so stupid…”  
  
“Hey!” Olivia moved closer, gently wrapping her arms around the sobbing woman. “You aren’t alone.” She dared a kiss on top of Natalia’s head. “Not now, and not ever.” She closed her eyes as Natalia’s arms found their way around her, and the dark head rested on her shoulder. “You have to trust me, you have to talk to me. I love you, but you have to believe that or this, whatever this is between us, isn’t going to work.”  
  
“I do.” Natalia held on tighter. “I do love you, and I do trust you… I want this to work so badly.” She let her tears go and tried to explain. “I was just so overwhelmed, and Father Ray said the Retreat might help…”   
  
“He wouldn’t tell me where you were, he said it would be best if I didn’t try to contact you… that I couldn’t visit at the Retreat anyway… and you had your phone off…”   
  
Natalia thought about what the Sister had said to her about Father Ray and wondered if there may have been a shred of truth to what she’d suggested. “I didn’t know Father Ray would try to stop you from seeing me. I intended to call you when I got to the Retreat.”   
  
Olivia felt the tears rolling down her cheeks and she didn’t try to stop them. “I was so scared, I even went to the police and told Frank you were missing.”  
  
“I’m sorry, I truly didn’t mean to scare you.” Natalia sniffled and loosened her hold slightly as she sat up. “What did he say?”  
  
“That he couldn’t do anything until twenty-four hours had passed.” Olivia snorted. “But that he’d ‘pass the word’ whatever that meant.” She leaned back on the couch, pulling Natalia back with her. “Useless.”  
  
“Not entirely.” Natalia sighed and placed her hand on her tummy. “What am I going to do, Olivia?”  
  
With a frustrated sound Olivia shook her head. “See, there’s that word again… I… like you’re in this alone.” She gently traced the outline of Natalia’s face with her fingertips. “We are in this together, together do you understand?” She smiled as Natalia nodded and closed her eyes as she moved into the soft caress.  
  
“Okay then…” Natalia corrected her word choice. “What are we going to do?”  
  
“Well… first we are going to confuse the hell out of Emma.”  
  
Natalia almost laughed, and dimples did appear even though she looked confused. “What?”  
  
“We have to tell her about us.” Olivia watched Natalia’s head nod… “Then we have to tell her about the baby.” The hotel owner’s eyes twinkled. “When she gets to the part in school where they discuss how babies are made, they are going to have a huge debate on their hands…”  
  
Natalia lightly slapped Olivia’s upper arm. “You are terrible!”  
  
With a little grin, Olivia chuckled. “It’s part of my charm.”  
  
“You are quite charming.” Natalia admitted. She realized at that moment, exactly where they were, what they were doing and why. She also realized that she had no reasonable explanation for it. “I totally don’t deserve you.” She quickly stopped Olivia from speaking with slim fingers pressed against the woman’s mouth. “No, listen… I hurt you, badly, and I know it.” She laid her head on the broad shoulder but continued speaking. “I have no reason to expect your forgiveness for that. It scares me that I can hurt you that badly, and it scares me that you can forgive me for it.”  
  
Reaching up, Olivia removed the hand from her mouth and kissed the fingers softly before speaking. “I have to forgive you.” She looked directly into Natalia’s dark eyes. “I have to… because if those few hours when I couldn’t find you were any indication at all… I can’t live without you.”  
  
“Olivia…”  
  
“I’ve been thinking a lot about, the future… our future… Yours, mine, Emma’s…even Rafe’s.” Olivia spoke slowly, wondering if Natalia would reject the idea immediately or if she would think about it. “I’m going to build another hotel… I want to go back, to San Cristobel, it would be a great place for a resort hotel… I want Emma to grow up there… and now,” she hesitantly placed her palm on over Natalia’s tummy. “…there is another little Rivera that can grow up there too.”  
  
“Olivia… that is just…”  
  
“Too much too soon?” The older woman nodded. “Yeah, I get that…I’ve been thinking about it for a while though…” She abruptly changed the subject. “So, do you have any names picked out?”  
  
Natalia faced Olivia and smiled. “If it’s a boy… Oliver.”  
  
“No way.” Olivia shook her head and answered Natalia’s immediate ‘why not?’ question. “Because he’ll get beat up for his milk money every day!” She was totally appalled. “You can’t name a child ‘Oliver’!”  
  
“Well we’re certainly not going to name him Frank Jr.!”  
  
Olivia swallowed hard and murmured. “We’ll at least we agree on that.” Then a grin appeared on Olivia’s face. “Did you hear what you said?” Natalia looked confused and Olivia rolled her eyes. “You said we… ‘we’re not going to name him’ did you mean that?” She studied Natalia’s expression carefully. “Will I be a part of this baby’s life?”  
  
“If he or she is very, very lucky, yes you will.” Snuggling in at Olivia’s side, Natalia sighed about how stupid she had been. _Peaceful Retreat?_ Her mind scoffed. _How could you have possibly thought there would be anywhere on Earth more peaceful than right here in Olivia’s arms._ “This child is going to need guidance. I’m sure you will show him, or her, all the tricks to living on an island.” She looked up at the face so close to hers. “I may need a few pointers myself.”  
  
“Done and done…” Olivia let herself begin to feel excited about the prospect. She could almost feel the pieces of her shattered heart mending themselves back into place. “You are going to love it there, it’s so beautiful. We can find a great house there and make it a home, just like we did here.”  
  
“Olivia.” Natalia knew it sounded sappy, but she spoke the words anyway, suddenly knowing the sentiment was true. “Wherever you are, is home to me.”  
  
\------------------------------  
  
A small knock on the door caused Sister Aloysius to look up from her desk. She smiled as Sister James entered the room then cleared her expression quickly.   
  
“Mail.” The younger woman suppressed a grin, she’d seen the quick smile, and handed the small stack to the Sister in charge.   
  
“What’s this?” The principal’s head tilted as she opened the formal looking envelope and scanned the contents.  
  
_Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera  
Would like to announce the birth of  
Their little Christmas miracle  
Oliver Nathaniel Spencer-Rivera  
December 25, 2009_  
  
Enclosed was a picture of just about the most adorable child either of the Sisters had ever seen. A happy child with deep dark eyes and a shock of thick black hair. A second picture caught Aloysius’ attention. This one was of them all, standing in front of a large house, the ocean visible in the background. Natalia, stood with her arms wrapped around a seemingly content young girl’s small shoulders. Emma, her mind supplied the name. Emma was practically beaming at the baby Olivia cradled in the crook of one arm, the woman’s other arm circling Natalia’s waist. There was another one. The Sister thought, and remembered the name. Rafe… He wasn’t anywhere in the picture but then the older woman contented herself with the knowledge. Someone had to take the picture. She handed the snapshots over to Sister James and nodded in agreement as the younger woman spoke quietly.  
  
“What a lovely family.”  
  
Vivid blue eyes watched as Sister James’ eyes twinkled at the children in the picture then muted with only a slight hint of regret. _Some things would just never be._ Warm arms wrapping around her from behind startled her for a moment, then she relaxed back into the embrace. Breath filtered through her head covering, warming her ear.  
  
“Come to my quarters tonight.”  
  
Sister James turned in the embrace and looked deeply into darkened blue eyes. “Is that wise?”  
  
A twitch of the lips crossed the usually stern Sister’s face. A twitch that Sister James knew meant the woman was amused. “No.” Aloysius exhaled softly. “But it is necessary.”  
  
Reaching up Sister James tucked a stray bit of blonde hair back under its confinement. Her hand lingered on the exposed skin of the other woman’s cheek, and with very little pressure her fingertips guided Aly’s head down so that their lips could briefly meet. “I’ll be there.”  
  
Sister Aloysius watched the door close and reached up to touch her lips. _It’s supposed to be wrong,_ she thought, _what we are doing, what we feel for each other, it should not have happened._ But it had happened, and Aloysius prayed every morning and evening that Natalia was correct in her belief. _God wouldn’t give us these feelings if He just intended on punishing us for them later._ God is Love and Forgiveness and when she faced Him on her Judgement Day, she had nothing to fear. He would not punish her or Sarah or anyone else simply for loving another person who happened to be the same gender as they were.   
  
Sister Aloysius knew now without a doubt in her heart, He would understand.   
  
  
End.  


Posted online 7/7/2009


End file.
